Living up to our potential

Like many of you, I grew up in rural America. I remember my Grandma Richards being the only serious gardener in our family. When I was young, my family frequently enjoyed fresh or home-canned vegetables for our meals. I was reminded of this when I read Tim Gustafson’s Feb. 24, 2018, “Our Daily Bread” devotional. He discussed an important gardening principle that reminded me of a valuable life lesson.

Gustafson shared an experience when, as a young boy, his father handed him a hoe and explained, “A weed is any plant that grows where you don’t want it.” The father’s valuable lesson was prompted by his son’s earlier decision to leave a corn plant alone, which had “volunteered” in a row of peas. Gustafson’s father grew up on a farm and explained a single cornstalk would not likely produce much corn and could choke smaller pea plants, robbing them of needed nutrients.

I am not interested in teaching a lesson about how to grow vegetables but how to live a life that counts. Sometimes, each of us is prone to ignoring stuff in our lives that pulls us away from becoming the person God knows we can become. We all have moments when we struggle with our priorities and are distracted by things that will not make us the people we or, more importantly God, wants us to be.

What draws you away from what is best? It may not be wrong; figuratively speaking, it could be a corn stalk in your row of peas. Whether watching too much television, giving in to workaholic tendencies, or even pursuing a hobby that takes too much valuable time away from our spouse or children, we are to live with thoughtful priorities.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus told the story of a farmer who sowed seeds in good and bad places. He explained how some of the farmer’s “…seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.” (Matthew 13:7, NLT)

Jesus’ parable suggests we should be certain nothing crowds out the most essential things in our lives. In his devotional, Gustafson asked a similar thought-provoking question, “What is there in your life that distracts you from the things that should be your priorities?”

The key word in Gustafson’s question is “priorities.” We must intentionally determine what matters and focus on it. While we all know some things are universally important, no one can decide what someone else must do. However, as a believer, I know we should prayerfully seek God’s help to figure out our priorities. If we do not, we risk living up to our potential.